The snow leopard is native to the mountain reaches of Central and South Asia. Relentless poaching and habitat destruction reduced it to vulnerable species. The less than 10,000 surviving mature adults are declining at a rate of 5% a year. Someday our grand kids may only see them in zoos. Therefore it’s concerning when three snow leopards die from COVID-19 at a Nebraska zoo.
Three Beloved Bubbly Creatures Are No More
Washington Post took up the story on Friday November 12, 2021. We went straight to Lincoln Children’s Zoo where the snow leopards lived. Their website describes Everest, Makalu and Ranney as ‘silly, bubbly and handsome creatures that delighted visitors for years.’
Mind you Snow Leopards are not pussy cats. They reach a shoulder height of 22 inches, and can measure as much as 59 inches from nose to tail. Males weigh in at 49 to 151 pounds. They thrive on a diet of wild sheep, goats and boars in their mountain retreats.
The three snow leopards died from COVID-19 complications a month after Lincoln Children’s Zoo staff detected symptoms and ran tests. Two Sumatran tigers, Axl and Kumar also caught the infection, although we understand they recovered fully.
Does it Matter Three Snow Leopards Died from COVID-19?
We believe it does, and beyond the conversation issue. This not the first time big cats contracted the disease in United States. The evidence is growing the virus travels from humans to animals, far more often than the other way around.
Therefore it seems probable the virus traveled from an unprotected human to three snow leopards at Lincoln Children’s Zoo. From where we sit it seems someone was careless. Or dare we say reckless when there were so many kids around?
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Preview Image: A Pair of Snow Leopards
